Noncriterial behavioral variability and related topographic bias in humans

Effects of variability requirements on difficult sequence learning

“…Behavioral variability became the object of study of several experimental investigations after the pioneering research by Page and Neuringer (1985). These investigations have identified distinct sources of variability, such as the intermittence and discontinuation of reinforcers (Antonitis, 1951; Chino et al, 2009; Iversen, 2002; Jones & Mechner, 2020; Kinloch et al, 2009; Kono, 2017; Neuringer et al, 2001; Souza et al, 2012; Tatham et al, 1993) and deprivation (Cooke et al, 2021; Laland & Reader, 1999). In these situations, variability is said to be induced, rather than reinforced, because it is not required for reinforcer delivery.…”